Eight hurt in escalator mishap at Giants Stadium plan to sue

Eight people injured on an escalator that malfunctioned at Giants Stadium in December have filed notices announcing they intend to sue the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, lawyers for the injured said today.

The 60-foot escalator that malfunctioned shortly after the Dec. 29 Giants-Patriots game trapped two men, causing "massive leg injuries," said Andrew Duffy, an attorney representing four people who say they plan to sue the authority for a combined $19 million.

One of the men, who is 26, spent more than six weeks in hospitals, undergoing multiple surgeries and a drug-resistant infection, Duffy said. The other, a 58-year-old, was hospitalized for nine days with a crushed foot, Duffy said.

Six others who also were injured filed notices as well, lawyers and officials from the sports authority said.

The injuries described by Duffy today were far more serious than the initial accounts by state police. In the days after the incident, State Police said the injuries consisted of a fractured leg and cuts and bruises.

State police Lt. Gerald Lewis said today that he could not comment before speaking with those who were more familiar with the incident.

"While the investigation is ongoing it is inappropriate for us to comment, but the authority management empathizes with those guests of ours who were affected," said John Samerjan, a spokesman for the sports authority, which operates Giants Stadium.

A spokeswoman for Schindler Elevator, the Morristown company that maintains the escalators, did not return calls for comment today.